Posted on June 21, 2010

The proposed SETA landscape will be detrimental to the sustainability of the creative and cultural industries. This important sector is largely marginalised and tends to be misunderstood or misplaced as it is somewhat regarded as being recreational in nature. There is a tendency to regard this sector as being of importance to tourism, without considering its importance in terms of identity formation, social cohesion and nation building. These notions about the sector might have a negative impact in terms of transmission of knowledge for the next generations through skills development.

The cultural sectors provide for a sense of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity. We have also witnessed successes in South African creative arts and cultural heritage. Internationally, cultural expressions from the country, especially the Film, Music and Heritage industries have been widely recognised. We have a number of World Heritage sites that are listed by UNESCO, a milestone for a new democracy like South Africa. We have been awarded the most prestigious awards in terms of Literature, Film and Music. The South African Advertising industry is considered the best in the world in terms of creative content. The proposed SETA does not seem to take these successes and growth of the industry, instead the industries are now facing dismantling that causes one to wonder what exactly informs the proposal.
PROPOSED SETA PROPOSED CHANGE
INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY (ICT SETA) Transfer Broadcasting from MAPPP-SETA to ICT SETA
MANUFACTURING SETA Requires a new SETA development. Amalgamate Clothing, Textile, Footwear and Leather SETA (CTFL), FETA sub-sectors, Furnitire, Timber Products and MAPPP sub-sectors Printing, Packaging and Publishing
SERVICES SETA Transfer of Advertising & Media sub-sectors from MAPPP-SETA
CULTURE, SPORTS, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY SETA Amalgamate Arts and Crafts sub-sector from MAPPP-SETA and strengthen Sports sub-sector focus within Tourism Hospitality Education and Training Authority


In terms of the proposed landscape for skills development, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), under the leadership of Dr. Blade Nzimande has proposed that Advertising and some forms of Media be placed with the Services SETA. Advertising has Visual Arts at its core and will be completely marginalised at the Services SETA, where a wide variety of unrelated sectors ranging from hairdressing to human resources management and even housekeeping are placed. This defeats the purpose of the value-chain approach that informs SETA-formation. Broadcast Engineering would be misplaced, without Film, Radio and Television and other forms of electronic media at the proposed Information, Communication and Technology (ICT SETA). Publishing on the other hand has been proposed for inclusion in the manufacturing process. It can be argued that this sub-sector is more related to Literature which involves a level of creativity than manufacturing which is more related to book-binding and the printing processes of publishing.

The existing arrangement within the MAPPP-SETA has proven not to be sustainable as it has caused a lot of tension with the Printing and Packaging industries. I would like to argue here that the creative process is not limited to the business of printing only, many other value chains also begin with a creative process. For example, the construction value chain begins with a creative process in the form of architectural activities. It is with this in mind that all the Sector Industry Codes (SIC) need to be looked at to identify those that fall within the creative process but have been placed elsewhere in the SETA landscape. It is with this in mind that a new SETA, concerned with the cultural or creative process be established so as to engage effectively with skills development in the sector. In addition to the 28 SIC codes from MAPPP-SETA, 4 can be drawn from CETA, 2 from ETDP SETA, 1 from HWSETA, 3 from ISETT, 3 from LGSETA, 2 from MQA, 2 from SERVICES SETA and 4 from THETA to form this new SETA as illustrated in the table below:

SETA (SIC) MAIN ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION
    Construction Education and Training Authority
05 50243 Conservation, restoration and refurbishment of buildings, structures, etc.
05 88210 Architectural and engineering activities and related technical consultancy
05 88212 Architectural activities
    Education, Training and Development Practices Sector Educatin and Training Authority (ETDP SETA)
07 96310 Library and archives activities
07 96311 Provision and operation of libraries of all kinds
    Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority
11 33531 Traditional healing services
    Information Systems, electronics and Telecommunication Technologies (ISETT)
12 75202 Television and radio signal distribution
12 75203 Cable TV services
12 96131 Providing radio and television transmission signals
    Local Government Sector Education and Training Authority (LGSETA)
14 96001 Recreational, cultural and sporting activities by local governments
14 96313 Provision and operation of libraries of all kinds by local governments
14 96321 Museum activities and preservation of historical sites and buildings by local governments
    Media, Advertising, Publishing, Printing and Packaging (MAPPP)
15 09003 Production of craft art
15 09004 Production of traditional art
15 09005 Production of functional wares
15 09007 Production of souvenirs
15 32410 Publishing of books, brochures, musical books and other publications
15 32420 Publishing of newspapers, journals and periodicals
15 32430 Publishing of recorded media
15 32490 Other publishing
15 32600 Reproduction of recorded media
15 36504 Designs, manufacture and displa of illuminated signs and advertising displays
15 88310 Advertising
15 88311 Activities of advertising agents
15 88313 Commercial design
15 88940 Photographic activities
15 96110 Motion picture and video production and distribution
15 96112 Related industries - film and tape renting to other industries, booking
15 96113 Film and video reproduction
15 96123 Bioscope cafes
15 96132 Production and broadcast of radio and television broadcats content
15 96140 Dramatic arts, music and other arts activities
15 96141 Activities of artists and entertainers
15 96142 Activities of theatre and entertainment technicians
15 96143 Production of 'live' theatrical and artistic events
15 96144 Activities of ars councils and other related institutions
15 96190 Other entertainment activities n.e.c
15 96200 News agency activities
15 96492 The activities of casting for motion pictures, television and theatre productions
    Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA)
16 39210 Manufacture of jewellery and related articles
16 J39211 Jewellery and related articles composed of precious metals, precious and semi-precious stones and pearlsTransfer
    Services Sector Education and Training Authority (SERVICES)
23 90001 Marketing services
23 09002 Marketing communications
    Tourism and Hospitality Education and Training Authority (THETA)
25 96000 Recreational, cultural and sporting activities
25 96320 Museum activities and preservation of historical sites and buildings
25 96322 Provision and operation of monuments and historical sites
25 96334 Activities of conservation bodies


It is acknowledged that it is difficult to measure the economic viability of this sector, due to the informal nature of its operations. Practitioners tend to work independently as freelancers or within NGOs and academic institutions. In addition to this, practitioners are not organised into unions but are instead members of informal networks and associations. Organised labour and organised business are the main agents of SETA governance and the absence of these groupings within the creative and cultural industries is posing a challenge in relation to development of skills. Continuous engagements with the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) as well as the department's institutions such as the National Arts Council (NAC), the National Heritage Council (NHC) and the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) amongst others are encouraged to ensure sustainability of this imagined creative/cultural SETA. The few existing unions such as the South African Script-writers Association (SASWA), the Creative Workers Union (CWU) would need to organise a formidable workforce that can participate effectively in Skills Development initiatives. Public Hearing Sessions for the proposed SETA landscape are scheduled to take place between the 14th to the 18th June 2010; the Minister will thereafter announce the final landscape during the Skills Development Conference that is scheduled to take place in October 2010.

Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya is the Deputy Director of the Archival Platform